Tom Roeser is Chairman of the Advisory Board of Catholic Citizens of Illinois, a conservative political activist and the host of a talk show that can be heard on WLS radio (890 AM) on Sunday evenings. Roeser recently blasted three Chicago Sun-Times columnists for their continual attacks on the Catholic Church “Thoughts While Shaving: Sun-Times Drives Home its Anti-Catholic Point with 3 Columnists Blasting the Church”[http://blog.tomroeser.com/2010/07/thoughts-while-shaving-sun-times-drives.html]. In his piece, Roeser points to the writings of Carol Marin, Neil Steinberg and Christopher Hitchens and addresses some of the reasons why these individuals have frequently attacked Catholicism.
But let me touch on a bit of personal history before I go any further with this column. Though I am now an Evangelical Christian, both my wife and I were raised as Catholics. My experience with the Catholic Church is something I will always cherish. In fact, when my family moved from Chicago proper to a southwest suburb of the City, during the urban flight of the late 50’s and early 60’s, there was no Catholic Church in the village we moved to. However, the Church made provisions for me to have personal Catechism classes in a temporary rectory which was purchased by the Catholic Church and solely meant to help serve many members of the faithful who had to travel a considerable distance in order to attend Sunday services. In fact, the gymnasium of a public school in the village where we lived held Mass every Sunday for the many Catholics in the area. I also made my first Holy Communion in that gymnasium.
A Catholic Church was eventually built in a neighboring town to provide religious services for Catholics. However, on a personal level, the one-on-one tutoring I received in Catechism class was a wonderful, loving devotion of faith, provided by a God-fearing priest, which I will never forget. This is just one of the many good memories I have of the Catholic faith.
In the public realm, groups like Catholic Charities do outstanding work concerning adoption and serving the community in many other ways, including feeding the hungry and housing the poor. But you will rarely, if ever, hear about the good things the Catholic Church does in America and throughout the world from the dominant press.
But in recent years, the Catholic Church and the charges levied against priests who sexually abused children have drawn the attention of the liberal establishment media and rightfully so. In his column, Roeser points to three journalists who have demonstrated an almost gleeful assault on the faith. Roeser notes some of the reasons why columnists like Marin, Steinberg and Hutchins have practically made a living off of Catholic-bashing. However, I would like to elaborate further on the subject.
As Roeser accurately surmises, the Catholic Church opposes much of the liberal secular agenda which is being advanced in our politically correct culture. The Church’s opposition to abortion, the practice of homosexuality and liberation theology has drawn the ire of a mainstream media which sees those who hold traditional family values as bigots. Subsequently, when the allegations that members of the priesthood were molesting children surfaced, it gave fodder to those in the establishment press to go after Catholics and Christianity in general.
The glaring agenda advanced by the media involves their cover-up related to the fact a vast majority of priests who molested children were homosexuals. Studies reveal, 80% of the alleged victims of Catholic priests were boys. Therefore, the establishment media’s reference to the issue as a problem of pedophilia within the Catholic Church is inaccurate.
On May 11, 2010, Pope Benedict XVI took full responsibility regarding child sex abuse which occurred within the Church in the past. “The greatest persecution of the church doesn’t come from enemies on the outside but is born from the sins within the church,” said the Pontiff. “The church needs to profoundly relearn penitence, accept purification, learn forgiveness–but also justice.”
But even though the Pope and the Church itself is aggressively addressing the problem, it is the media which is in denial regarding the role homosexuality has played in the scandal. In fact, the more accurate term for what occurred is not pedophilia, as the mainstream media likes to call it. The word which more clearly defines sexual abuse of children within the Catholic Church is ephebophilia–which is a sexual preference of an adult towards a boy or girl who is under the age of consent.
Obviously, homosexuals were finding sanctuary in Catholic seminaries. Sadly some individuals in the Catholic Church’s hierarchy were aware of the problem and did little–or nothing–to address the issue. But the sexual abuse by homosexual men of children exists in other denominations as well, not to mention the general public. However, the Catholic Church was a huge target, singled out by the types of journalists who believe in same-sex “marriage”, special “rights” for homosexuals, and other radical leftist agendas which drove their journalistic fervor. For example, groups like NAMBLA (North American Man/Boy Love Association) are open in sharing their beliefs that sex between adult men and male children should be legal.
The truth is Marin, Steinberg, Hutchins and others have helped protect the homosexual community through their failure to provide a journalistic linkage between the Catholic Church’s sexual abuse scandal and homosexuality. It is a well-known fact that child abusers go where the children are to perform their dark arts. Thankfully, the Catholic Church and other denominations have caught on to the pipeline which funneled male sexual predators into the clergy. The only question is…when will the media come up to speed concerning this issue? I believe they never will.
